9th High-Level Meeting between Indian Coast Guard and Sri Lanka's Coast Guard to be organized

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Sri Lanka’s Coast Guard convened their ninth high‑level meeting to advance bilateral cooperation. The meeting brought together senior maritime security officials from both countries to discuss a joint strategy for responding to escalating maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean region. Both parties agreed to develop new protocols for coordinated actions against maritime border security, illegal fishing, maritime smuggling, and maritime criminal activities. They also deliberated on strengthening emergency response mechanisms to manage increasing maritime disasters caused by climate change.

The meeting reaffirmed the successful outcomes of joint exercises and information sharing carried out in recent years and proposed promoting regular joint maritime surveillance campaigns and training programmes in the future. Prioritising the security of key shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, the two countries expressed a desire to reinforce collective measures in multilateral forums such as the Indo‑Pacific Security Cooperation (IPSC) and the Indian Ocean Regional Security Council (IOCSC). As a result of this meeting, a working group has been formed to prepare a detailed cooperation plan over the next few months, expected to significantly enhance the maritime security capabilities of both nations.